Interleukin-12 is produced by macrophages in response to live or killed Bordetella pertussis and enhances the efficacy of an acellular pertussis vaccine by promoting induction of Th1 cells.

Using a murine respiratory infection model, we have demonstrated previously that infection with Bordetella pertussis or immunization with a whole-cell pertussis vaccine induced antigen-specific Th1 cells, which conferred a high level of protection against aerosol challenge. In contrast, immunization with an acellular vaccine, consisting of the B. pertussis components detoxified pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, and pertactin adsorbed to alum, generated Th2 cells and was associated with delayed bacterial clearance following challenge. In this study, we demonstrated that addition of interleukin-12 (IL-12) either in vitro or in vivo enhanced type 1 T-cell cytokine responses induced with an acellular vaccine. Furthermore, the rate of bacterial clearance in mice coinjected with IL-12 and the acellular vaccine was similar to that observed following immunization with a potent whole-cell vaccine. Analysis of IL-12 secretion by murine macrophages suggested that this cytokine is produced in vivo following B. pertussis infection or immunization with the whole-cell vaccine. IL-12 was detected in the supernatants of lung, splenic, and peritoneal macrophages infected with live B. pertussis or stimulated with heat-killed whole B. pertussis or B. pertussis lipopolysaccharide. In contrast, IL-12 could not be detected following stimulation of macrophages with the bacterial antigens filamentous hemagglutinin, detoxified pertussis toxin, and pertactin, the components of acellular vaccines. Our findings suggest that induction of endogenous IL-12 may contribute to the high efficacy of pertussis whole-cell vaccines and also demonstrate that it is possible to attain these high levels of protection with a less reactogenic acellular vaccine incorporating IL-12 as an adjuvant.